budgetvip

Ive already searched the forums and couldn't find anything but i know this is a touchy subject to some people but I'll just say I'm not going to spend 1,500 or more on a bn sports or vertex kit just to destroy the side skirts and front bumper. So after saying that does anyone know of any current replica bn sports vertex or anything else currently in production? Thanks for any help

TTurboPimp

iTrader: (12)

Dude, dont do it.....you will regret it when you spend double that trying to make a flimsy piece of **** fit right. Go real the first time and save yourself alot of misery.

NorthStyle

iTrader: (16)

Yup. And as far as I know, I've never seen a replica BN sports kit that you wouldn't have to ship from Japan anyway. The Vertex reps are around though, but fitment will most likely will cost what you're saving in buying a rep like TTurboPimp said.

Fish

iTrader: (26)

Stay static, I'll agree with you on that, stay authentic?

mveale

iTrader: (5)

Like everyone else said, replicas rarely fit well. You'll end up paying a body shop way more to make it fit than you would've paid just buying the real thing.

I bought an AC Schnitzer replica valance for my E34 5-Series a few years ago. A buddy and I tried to make it fit a few days before a show so I could get it sprayed in time. Fitment was so bad that we ended up ruining the paint on my front bumper and paying to have it resprayed before the show. This was from a "quality" replica company, not eBay "shipping from Malaysia."

Also, your username... You do understand that one of the fundamental ideas behind VIP style is spending a ton of money on your car, right? Real parts, real wheels, one-off custom modifications, etc. I understand that not everyone wants to put $20,000 into a $5,000 car, but at least do a "budget" build by buying used, real parts. At least that will earn some respect from the real VIP guys and not just the "$1000 1st-gen LS, eBay coilovers, STR wheels" guys.

luda42688

iTrader: (2)

Buy used authentic if you want to save some money, not replica.

To be honest, I've only bought replica kits (only 3) and they all fit like **** and looked horrible... don't do it.

I've literally bought replica side skirts for my 300zx and my body guy had to throw them away because they would not fit correctly and was warped.
Also the front bumper was a urethane Greddy replica... guess what... didn't fit right.

It was on my car, looked good from 30 feet away but if you got close, it looked like complete dog ****.

D3V3LOP3R

iTrader: (3)

be patient and watch the forums for a used lip kit or a body kit...don't buy fake. Please. People that buy tons of fake exterior and interior pieces and then try to flaunt their "epic next level VIP build" are the reason that the GS scene is slowly getting worse and worse.

Mr Jokster

iTrader: (8)

I love this part.


Yup. I've put a ridiculous amount of cash into my GS and my pride is slowly dwindling for just that reason. It pisses me off that I've spent $20k+ to do it right all for the first question that comes out of peoples mouth about my build is, "is that a rep"...



OP As for reps, the reason they're so bad is that rep companies use one mold and use it for everything. A mold gets old very fast and sure the first batch/batches come out just fine, but after a while, the non maintained molds get warped, things get stuck on them and it all transfers to the kit. Doesnt matter to them, they still get their money. As mentioned already, its best to find someone parting out.

tiger4life

iTrader: (16)

I have had several replica parts on my car.

1. Replica fiberglass lip. It fit fine. Bought it off of craigslist years ago.

2. Replica fiberglass L-Tuned grill that fits perfect. Bought it from a member on clublexus.

3. Replica polyurethane junction produce 3 piece wing. Fits good, I just wish the gaps between the 3 pieces was smaller like the original.

4. Replica fiberglass RMM sideskirts. Man, these things are sooooo bad. I'll do a write up in my build thread about them in a week or so. My painter has them now and I want to what the final results are. I tried to fix them myself but I would be embarrassed to sell these things and the manufacturer wasn't even phased. Told me a reputable shop could fix this...... Yes both skirts are 1/2" short. Like Jokester said, the molds go bad and they have no problem continuing with bad parts. They gave me a partial refund to cover the supplies I had to buy to try fixing them, but I should have gotten my money back AND another set of skirts.

I know everyone says to buy original but it isn't that easy, the classifieds have been pretty bare. I bought a rare authentic Wise bumper from a member on here (and then I hit my first ever animal in the road with it, hows that for luck). Luckily, the bumper was only damaged a little. I wish I was local, I would have bought his RMM sideskirts and bumper also. Still wish I would have at least bought the sideskirts from him since he could have thrown them in the box. But not many epic for sale threads like his pop up and shipping from Japan, where most parts seems to be, is ridiculous and a lot of state side people don't want to ship larger items. I know there has to be a bit of parts stateside but I just think a lot those cars are now owned by non-ethusiast who aren't going to try to actively sell parts off of the car.

tiger4life

iTrader: (16)

And that is not the only problem with them. It's pretty sad that someone would not immediately offer to take these back.

mlracing

For those saying it's difficult to buy used parts.. I guess you haven't checked on Yahoo lately. All you need is a little bit of patience

tiger4life

iTrader: (16)

Shipping to the US is a killer though. I wanted some sideskirts from the optional OEM Aristo lip kit. The skirts were like $540 (which is already kinda costly) but the shipping was estimated to be $500 I think. I rather authentic over replica, but I just couldn't pull the trigger for $1000 on sideskirts plus paint. Don't shoot me, I understand the "pay to play" mentality but I didn't want to play that hard for sideskirts. I ended up with junk for $150 but I'm hoping they'll at least be passable after paint. This is just a hobby for me not a lifestyle.

tiger4life

iTrader: (16)

After this sideskirts experience though, I am really going to try to find an authentic bumper. The car doesn't look too bad though. It isn't perfect, but hey it's 16 years old with 222k miles.....

budgetvip

I've got the real wheels real parts only thing I've went cheap on so far are the coils and that's just temporary work wheels 326 lugs custom rear lowers battle toe arms battle traction Arms serialnine front arms ordered debating on ordering serialnine rear uppers going to have custom front lowers made I'm all for authentic products but not for spending 2k on a body kit then 500 or more to repair it every year

mveale

iTrader: (5)

But that would be cheaper than buying a new replica and having it fitted and painted every year... Unless there's BN/Vertex reps out there for $100 and you've got some serious auto body and fiberglass skills, I can't imagine you can get a replica bumper fitted and painted for less than $500.

Anyway, at the end of the day, it's your car and it is certainly easier to click "Add to cart" than to prowl second-hand websites waiting for the right parts. Extreme Dimensions has a Vertex replica kit, I believe. Try these sites:

www.extremedimensions.com
www.saronadesign.com
www.andysautosport.com
and of course: motors.ebay.com